COREN attributes Uyo Reigners Bible Church collapse to poor construction

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has blamed poor construction for the collapse of the Reigners Bible Church International recently in   Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, which claimed many lives. Speaking at a press conference last week in Abuja, COREN President Engineer Kashim Ali, said investigations carried out by the Engineering […]

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has blamed poor construction for the collapse of the Reigners Bible Church International recently in   Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, which claimed many lives.

Speaking at a press conference last week in Abuja, COREN President Engineer Kashim Ali, said investigations carried out by the Engineering Regulatory and Monitoring (ERM) unit of the council revealed the building was still under construction at the time of collapse and located on a sloping land close to a stream.

He said the main scaffold that supported the drum at the centre was removed less than 24 hours before the collapse.

Engineer Kashim said investigations further showed that “the base plates were inadequate in size to provide sufficient weld length for the trusses they supported as all connections were by welding.’’ 

He said preliminary information from the Uyo Capital Development Authority showed that the building which started in 2013 had no approved plans and that ‘Stop Work’ order had been placed on it many times.

He, therefore, called for a detailed analysis to be carried out on the structural elements particularly the trusses, beams and columns and that the designers and builders be identified to provide more information on what happened as the building progressed.

Soil investigation, he also said, should be carried out to further establish possible contribution of foundation distress leading to the collapse.